Andros Beaches: Batsi, Kalamaki, Megali Peza, Achla & Zorkos
Andros keeps its largest sandy beach at the resort of Batsi, and its beaches are prettier, cleaner and clearer than on the other Cycladic islands, with far fewer parasols and sunbeds. Driving the few kilometres from Gavrio to Batsi you pass a new beautiful beach around every corner. A little further on, the beaches are often empty and unspoiled, and several coves double as naturist beaches. Most lie at the end of a winding or rough road, so bring water, shade and, ideally, your own car. Hire a car to explore Andros at your own pace, covered in our Andros car hire guide.
- Main beach
- Batsi
- Favourite cove
- Kalamaki
- Naturist
- Delavoyas & Kalamaki
- Villa beaches
- Achla & Zorkos
Batsi beach
Batsi beach is the largest sandy beach on Andros, at the resort of Batsi 7 kilometres from the port of Gavrio. It carries a Blue Flag and, despite being the busiest beach on the island, is usually not very busy, with some sunbeds and parasols for rent. The beach sits in a sheltered bay below the amphitheatrical town, within a short walk of the restaurants, bars and shops. It is the most convenient beach for a base, and the accommodation around it is listed in the Andros hotels & villas guide.
Kalamaki beach
Kalamaki beach, on the west coast a little below Batsi near the middle of the island, was Hans's favourite beach on Andros. You reach it from a junction on the main road, then a winding road that drops slowly to the coast past a sweet white church and a dilapidated cottage. The beach is beautiful, with fine sand and some loose pebbles, and it is easy to walk into the calm, current-free sea, which looks out to a small island. Each time Hans drove there it was completely empty, quiet enough to serve as a private naturist beach.
Megali Peza & Mikro Peza
Megali Peza beach lies at the end of a road in the north of Andros that turns rough near the end but is still passable in a normal car. The sand grains are a little coarser here and a few houses stand back from the shore, so it is a touch less private than Kalamaki, but the bay is very beautiful, with a striking rock in the sea and easy access to the water, and there are no facilities. In the next bay to the west lies its smaller sister, Mikro Peza beach. Both can catch the Meltemi wind.
Delavoyas naturist beach
Delavoyas is a naturist beach about 800 metres from Batsi, in an area of exceptional natural beauty, below the beachfront Aneroussa Beach Hotel which overlooks two sandy beaches. It is one of the quiet sandy coves within easy reach of the resort. The hotel above it appears in the Andros hotels & villas guide.
Achla beach
Achla is a quiet pebbled beach on the east side of Andros, 25 km from Andros Town and 35 km from the port of Gavrio, in a peaceful setting good for outdoor activities such as diving and hiking. The Onar complex of stone cottages and villas sits 350 metres back from the beach among plane trees. It is a beach for travellers who want seclusion rather than facilities.
Zorkos beach
Zorkos beach lies in the north of Andros near Zorgos, 17 km from the port of Gavrio, below the Aegea Blue villas and suites which stand on a hillside overlooking the shore. Like the other beaches away from Batsi it stays quiet, and it suits a self-catering stay by the sea. The villas above it appear in the Andros hotels & villas guide.
Felos beach
Felos is a beautiful, unspoiled beach a little to the north of the ferry port of Gavrio. Like most of the beaches away from Batsi it stays quiet, and just outside Gavrio towards Batsi lie many more fine sandy beaches worth stopping at along the coast road.
Nemborio & Paraporti
Andros Chora keeps a beach on each side of its peninsula, Nemborio and Paraporti. The town beach is a good size, sandy and, like the rest of the island, not very busy. Most of the accommodation in the capital is at Nemborio, within a short walk of the marble-paved main street, its shops and its museums.
Mylos beach, Ormos Korthiou
Mylos beach is the long sandy beach of Ormos Korthiou in the Bay of Korthiou in the south-east of Andros, named after the old windmill that stands on the sand near its centre, and sometimes simply called Ormos beach. It can be windy here and the waves can run high. The beach is unorganised, with no sunbeds or parasols for rent and few facilities beyond the tavernas of the village, so it suits travellers who like a quiet, natural stretch of sand.
Gavrio beach
Gavrio beach is a long, narrow beach at the ferry port, with rather hard sand because the ingoing and outgoing ferries flush the beaches in the bay. A few houses and a taverna stand behind it. It is not the island's best beach, but it is handy while you wait for a ferry, and the far nicer beaches begin just outside the village towards Batsi.
